1st October, 2022
AustralianSuper has become one of the world’s largest public pension funds, and has grown its overseas footprint significantly in the past few months, including its London and New York offices, which it expects to grow to 250 staff. We had the great pleasure of speaking with Damian Moloney, Head of Investments, International, about the activities and prospects of the fund.
1st September, 2022
In the past few years, Spain’s COFIDES has become a very active manager of Sovereign capital, financing over 1,000 projects in over 100 countries and establishing partnerships with GCC funds including OIA, QIA and Mubadala. We had the great pleasure of talking with its Director-General, Rodrigo Madrazo, about the fund’s current activities and future strategy.
1st August, 2022
During Covid-19, the NDFI played an important role in Iran as it supported the production of vaccines and stabilized capital markets. With assets of over US$ 140 billion, the fund is now ready for some changes including investments overseas. We had the immense pleasure of hearing about its latest developments and future plans from its Chairman, Dr. Ghazanfari.
1st July, 2022
One of the leaders of the year, with a 96% score, was Canada’s largest Public Pension Fund, CPP Investments. We had the great pleasure of speaking with Ed Cass, its SMD and Chief Investment Officer about the GSR scoreboard different elements, the keys for CPP Investments’ success and his future ambitions for the fund.
1st June, 2022
On January 31, 2022, the Federal Negarit Gazette of the Federal Democratic Republic of Ethiopia announced the establishment of the Ethiopian Investment Holdings (EIH) to serve as the country’s strategic investment arm. The fund will have an authorized capital of ETB 100 bn (US$ 1.9 bn at today’s exchange rate) and be seeded with over 43 public enterprises across different sectors, including Ethiopian Airlines, CBE and Ethio Telecom, as well as significant landholdings. We had the great pleasure of chatting with EIH’s CEO, Mr. Mamo Mihretu, and its Deputy CEO, Ms. Bilen Mammo, about the fund’s establishment and vision of the organization’s future.
1st May, 2022
For the year ended 30 June, 2021, the Victorian Funds Management Corporation (VFMC) reported a one-year-return of 16.9% and ten-year annualized return of 9.4%. The state investor manages AUD $74.5 billion (US$ 56 billion) on behalf of 31 public authorities of the state of Victoria. Seven months ago, CEO Lisa Gray retired and passed the baton to Kate Galvin, an executive with extensive asset management, banking, wealth management, markets, and legal expertise that would enable VFMC to continue with its evolution and delivery of market leading long-term returns. We had the pleasure of chatting with Ms. Galvin about her vision for the future of the organization.
1st April, 2022
Despite popular beliefs, the Kuwait Investment Authority (KIA) has one of the highest proportions of female employees among SWFs, at around 50%. One of the main reasons is its Fresh Graduate Training Program, which has since 1995 attracted the best Kuwaiti talent and supported women’s careers. The program is now headed by Ms. Aliah Al-Tameemi, who is the most senior woman at the fund and the first to be named as an executive director in 2017. She oversees a portfolio estimated at over US$ 100 billion in alternative investments, including real estate, infrastructure, private equity and hedge funds, and is the Chairman of infrastructure-dedicated subsidiary Wren House Infrastructure. We had the great pleasure of talking with Ms. Al-Tameemi about her career path, current responsibilities and future goals as a trailblazer of the SWF industry in the Middle East.
1st March, 2022
CalSTRS is the world’s largest educator-only pension fund, and the world’s second largest state PPF, only behind its stablemate CalPERS. For the fiscal year 2020-21 the educator-only fund scored an impressive 27.2% return, which will improve its funding ratio by 300 bp. In the past few years, it has built a successful collaborative model and become a frequent partner of other SOIs. We had the immense pleasure of talking with Scott Chan, its Deputy CIO, about the challenges and opportunities ahead.
1st February, 2022
Wafra (Arabic for “abundance”, and the southernmost area in Kuwait) was established by the PIFSS over three decades ago and today invests on behalf of PIFSS and asset owners around the world. In 2018, it rocketed to new heights with the launch of Capital Constellation, an innovative JV among leading institutional asset owners across Europe, North America, and the Middle East. We had the immense pleasure of catching up with Daniel Adamson, SMD of Wafra Inc. and President of Capital Constellation.
1st January, 2022
For its significant contribution to the development of Abu Dhabi and the UAE, for its leadership in pursuing global partnerships, for its unparalleled investment and divestment activity displayed throughout the year, and, in general, for its contribution to the advancement of the SWF industry, Global SWF believes that Mubadala Investment Company is a worthy recipient of the 2021 Fund of the Year award. We spoke with Ahmed Saeed Al Calily, its Chief Strategy & Risk Officer, about the fund’s performance and ambitions.
1st December, 2021
Rwanda’s economy has been growing steadily for the past 20 years. In December 2011, the National Dialogue Council proposed the creation of a Sovereign Wealth Fund, which would be funded by contributions of civil servants and the Rwandan diaspora. We had the pleasure of catching up with Mr. Gilbert Nyatanyi, who has been CEO of Agaciro since September 2020 and wants to take his country’s SWF to the next level.
1st November, 2021
PensionDanmark is one of Denmark’s largest labor market pension funds, with US$ 49.9 billion in assets as of June 30, 2021. It is also known as one of the world’s greenest investors, with US$ 3.7 billion invested and/or committed to unlisted renewable energy, and for having co-founded of the UN-convened Net-Zero Asset Owner Alliance (NZAOA). We had the immense pleasure of chatting with its CEO, Mr. Torben Möger Pedersen, who has led the fund since its establishment in 1993.